Many Iranians have bravely participated in public demonstrations over the past couple of weeks.
Tens of thousands of Iranians live in Metro Vancouver and all of them are focused on their homeland. That includes members of five Iranian churches and many who are scattered through other churches.
Ahmad Zeividavi, founder and Executive Director of House of Omeed (“a place of refuge for those who have come from distant lands far and wide”) is one of those who have made a new life in this area.
He sent this newsletter to his supporters which movingly illustrates the hopes, fears and dreams of his community.
We write to you today with heavy hearts and hope-filled spirits because something historic is unfolding in Iran, and we believe the global Church is being invited by God to stand in prayer and faith at this defining moment.
Over the last couple of weeks, Iran has been gripped by a massive nationwide uprising. This movement is being described by Iranians themselves as one of the largest and most significant in the nation’s history.
While the unrest began under intense economic pressure and currency collapse, it is now very clear: this is no longer about money. It has become a bold, unified cry for freedom from decades of oppression under the Islamic regime.
Millions of ordinary people, men, women, youth and even children have taken to the streets. Their chants are no longer about reform, but about freedom, dignity and the end of tyranny. This is not a momentary protest. This is a national awakening.
The cost has been devastating.
Iranian military forces have harassed and killed many Iranians.
Security forces have responded with extreme violence. There are widespread and credible reports of protesters being shot and killed, including children. Thousands have been arrested.
Fear is being used as a weapon to silence the people. Families are grieving, even as the streets continue to fill with courageous voices refusing to back down.
Repression has intensified dramatically. Internet access has been shut down. Cell phones are down. Landlines are cut. Power outages are being imposed across cities. Iran has been pushed into near-total blackout physically, digitally and emotionally.
[A second newsletter, sent out late Tuesday evening, said, “I am writing to you with a broken heart, and with faith, because what is happening in Iran has entered a level of horror that is almost impossible to describe. . . . Credible reports indicate that during this total blackout, the regime has carried out large-scale killings. Iran International reports receiving documentation that more than 12,000 civilians have been killed by the Revolutionary Guard.]
This is deeply personal for us.
Because of these shutdowns, Iranians outside the country, including myself and our entire House of Omeed team, are completely cut off from our families and friends inside Iran. There is no way to check in. No way to ask if they are safe.
We ask you to imagine this for a moment: imagine not knowing if your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your cousins, could be shot, or are being shot at, at any given moment – and having no way to reach them. This is the reality millions of Iranians are living in right now.
The situation continues to deteriorate.
All schools and universities have been shut down. Hospitals are no longer safe places of refuge. There are reports of security forces attacking hospitals and kidnapping injured and severely wounded protesters directly from hospital beds, simply for seeking medical care. Even compassion has become a crime.
Yet even under these conditions, the courage of the people has been extraordinary.
In a powerful act of defiance, protesters have broken into government-run food stores not to steal, but to spread the food in the streets, laying it out publicly in front of government officials. These acts declare that this movement is not driven by greed, but by dignity, justice and truth.
Across cities and towns, protesters are tearing down Islamic religious symbols and regime symbols, openly rejecting the religious authority that has been used to justify decades of brutality. These actions are not merely political; they represent a deep spiritual rejection of enforced ideology and fear-based control. People are saying with their lives, “We will not be ruled by fear anymore.”
Amid this turmoil, the Church in Iran remains under intense persecution.
Christians in Iran are forced to worship underground. Many are imprisoned simply for gathering, praying or sharing their faith. Arrests and long prison sentences for believers have increased dramatically. Now, with the country in upheaval, Christian believers face even greater danger caught between a violent regime and a nation in crisis.
And yet, the Iranian Church continues to grow.
House churches are multiplying. Faith is spreading quietly but powerfully. Even in prison cells, worship continues. The underground Church in Iran is one of the fastest-growing Christian movements in the world growing through suffering, courage and unwavering hope in Christ.
Church family, we believe this is a God-moment.
Throughout Scripture, moments of national shaking have often preceded spiritual breakthrough. When systems of oppression tremble, hearts begin to search for truth. We believe God is moving in Iran not only in the streets, but in homes, prisons and hidden gatherings of believers.
This is a moment for the global Church to rise.
How to pray in intercession for Iran
As the body of Christ, we invite you to stand in the gap for Iran during this critical hour. Please join us in focused intercession:
- Pray for divine protection over protesters, families, children and all civilians facing violence.
“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” Psalm 9:9
- Pray for supernatural courage and endurance for the Iranian people, that fear would not silence them.
“Be strong and courageous . . . for the Lord your God goes with you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
- Pray for truth to be revealed, even amid internet shutdowns, power cuts and total communication blackouts.
“For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed.” Luke 12:2
- Pray for the breaking of oppressive systems and the downfall of injustice, violence and corruption.
“Let justice roll on like a river.” Amos 5:24
- Pray for hospitals, medical workers and the wounded, that the injured would be protected and not punished for seeking care.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
- Pray for imprisoned believers, that they would be strengthened, comforted and miraculously released.
“Remember those in prison as if you were together with them.” Hebrews 13:3
- Pray for the underground Church to be protected, multiplied and filled with boldness.
“And the word of God continued to spread.” Acts 6:7
- Pray for a spiritual awakening across Iran, that hearts would turn from fear and enforced religion to the freedom found in Jesus Christ.
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
- Pray for unity in the global Church, that believers worldwide would stand together as one.
“That all of them may be one.” John 17:21
- Pray for the Church in Iran to rise above ground, able to worship openly and without fear.
“A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
- Pray that this great shaking would lead to lasting freedom for the people, the Church and the Gospel.
“See, I am doing a new thing!” Isaiah 43:19
We believe in the day when the Church in Iran will no longer be forced underground, when believers can worship freely, openly and without fear. We believe that out of this great shaking, God will bring great freedom.
Thank you for standing with House of Omeed.
Thank you for praying with us.
Thank you for believing that God has not forgotten Iran.
With hope, faith and urgency,
Ahmad Zeividavi
Executive Director
House of Omeed
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Ahmad Zeividavi in the culturally-sensitive food bank at House of Omeed
The House of Omeed is on Clarke Street in Port Moody. Here is how they describe their work:
‘Omeed‘ is Persian for hope. The House of Omeed exists to inspire hope in the hearts of refugees and newcomers to Canada as they are transplanted into an unfamiliar, incomprehensible society.
Many intimidating obstacles such as language barriers, unemployment and not knowing a single person, can cause newcomers to lose hope of ever settling in and feeling comfortable in their beautiful and relatively safe, new home.
From the conception of our charity, God has been faithful in enabling us to help thousands of our newcomers and refugees in their hardships.
Our founder, Ahmad Zeividavi, was a refugee himself. At the age of 19, Ahmad was a refugee in Turkey where God gave him spiritual sight, and he received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. From his experience in Turkey, Ahmad became intimately aware of the challenges of immigration and the specific needs of refugees.
When he came to Canada, he visited many settlement agencies and realized each place was overcrowded, and different places offered different services. Ahmad knew then that Vancouver needed a centre that felt like home. A place where each person would feel they were amongst family when they came through the doors; a place they could sit down with someone who cared, share their story and receive help and encouragement.
In 2012, Ahmad received a vision from God of a charity supported by churches and organizations. One that would journey alongside refugee families and newcomers while meeting their needs and sharing the precious love of Christ.
God has since graciously fulfilled this dream by establishing the House of Omeed. We are a registered charity governed and run by people who were once refugees themselves, and we offer loving care and support for newcomers, refugees and people in the Middle East. To learn more about our programs, please visit “Our Services”.